STAFF VIDEOS

preparing for divorce or navigating the aftermath of a divorce. I myself come from a divorced family and have a lot of experience with that. I'm also really excited to work with young folks who are figuring out their relationship to their body. Whether that means figuring out what their body image means to them or figuring out what their gender and sexuality means to them. I myself am a queer clinician, and so I'm really excited to work with our young queer folks to make them feel heard, seen, and understood. Really, I just want to get to know y 'all. I want this to be a fun experience. I care so much about connecting with everyone in the individual level and really getting to understand the things that make your family unique and your experiences yours. I look forward to getting to know you and I'll see you in a session soon.

of empathy for families who are navigating unfamiliar territory or who sometimes feel like they don't quite fit the mold. My style is warm, calm, and curious. I take my time. I work especially well with kids who express themselves in unique ways or who might feel unsure about opening up at first. I know what it's like to communicate a little differently, and I bring a lot of patience and care to that process. I'm particularly drawn to supporting young people and families who are coping with loss or major life changes. Grief can show up in so many forms, and my goal is to be a steady, compassionate presence through it. Most of all, I believe that every child has inner wisdom, and my job is to help them feel safe enough to access it. I also involve parents and caregivers and family members when it's helpful because healing often happens within our relationships. I know how much trust it takes to let someone support your family. I take that seriously, and I look forward to meeting you.

little bit. And I know when I was a teenager, how much my therapist meant to me and what I was going through. I mean, growing up is a crazy experience. It's coming with so much new terrain and strain on the body and on the mind, the heart. So having somebody that was kind of separate from my family that I could go to and chat with and make sense of everything and connect some dots was really important to me. And I wanna be that for somebody else. It means a lot to me. And one thing I'm really passionate about is sort of helping the unseen become seen, not go unseen. And sorry, my dog is sneezing. But it's really important to me to work with invisible illness. I struggle with autoimmune disease and it's one of those things where you can't really see it. I don't really seem like I'm ill at any given moment, but sometimes I'm really struggling. And to help other people normalize the unseen illnesses that we might have from anxiety to an autoimmune disease is really important to me, to help people feel seen in that because it can sometimes feel really isolating. So I really hope to see you at Child and Teen Counseling Center soon, whether you're my client or someone else's. I look forward to meeting any of you.

I wanted to introduce myself, not just as a therapist, but as a person who your child might be spending some time with. I've always been interested in people, why we do things, how we behave, and who we are becoming. And I know what it's like to feel pressure. And it can feel like you're supposed to have it all figured out. One way I like to describe what I do is this. I'm like a diary that talks back. I listen, I care, and I help make sense of your thoughts and feelings and emotions. Let me give you another metaphor that I really love. It's the backpack and the talking map. Imagine you're on this grand adventure and you're carrying a backpack that's full of thoughts and feelings. And sometimes that backpack can get really heavy. It's hard to know which path to take or even what to keep inside or take out. I'm like the talking map inside your backpack. I help you make sense of what's inside and find new paths when you might feel stuck. I don't tell you where to go. I walk beside you. And if you get lost, that's okay too. We'll figure it out together. Talking from a young age, really talking, can help your kids feel more in control, more understood, and more confident as they grow. Together, we can help your child build a stronger sense of self. To the parents watching, I see you. I know that it's hard to ask for support. But the fact that you're here shows me that you care deeply. I believe therapy should be collaborative. And I will work very hard with your child and with you to hold space for everyone's voice. And to the kids and teens watching, this is your space. You don't have to be perfect or know all the answers. I'm here to get curious with you and make you feel more in charge of your life. One step, one story, and one strength at a time. I look forward to meeting you.

I've had my own journey with mental health and want to be able to take what I've learned and help other people work through whatever they're working through. As a kid, I struggled with both anxiety and depression, and I feel like I really would have benefited from somebody reaching out and helping me with that. And that's something that I truly want to be able to help younger people today with. I'm from Agoura Hills, California. I grew up in the valley. I'm into music. I play guitar, piano, a little bit of bass and drums. I play video games. I love comic books, movies, and have all sorts of pop culture interests. I'm really looking forward to working with teens. I think that that is such a crucial part of development and it's definitely the point in my life where I could have used the most help and I think that I can do the most good with that group. I'm looking forward to working with you soon. You can reach me at david at childteencounseling .org

Outside of the therapy room, I really like to stay active. Whether that's Pilates, hiking, playing tennis, going for a walk, you can usually find me outdoors. I also recently took up Mahjong. It's a little bit like Rummikub, if you've ever played that game. Love playing games. And it's just really fun, something to do with friends. I also enjoy traveling, spending time with my family. I have two young children, and trying out new restaurants. I look forward to meeting you and supporting you on your journey ahead.

So one thing that I've talked a lot with with the clinical supervisors here about it's just about trusting my gut and my intuition. Doing that I think has really helped me be in the room and be present in a way that's more authentic, that's easier for my clients to connect. We just get a lot of freedom to kind of meet the client where they're at, whatever kind of approach is that we have, and I just really appreciate that. You know, my cohort, the people that I interviewed with and that I trained with, we all went through the training process and learned to kind of find our voice. It's so freeing to just have that liberty to do whatever I feel is right for the client and not necessarily right for like the parent or right for my supervisor or things like that. It's like the client first and foremost and I like that we get to have that Tommy. I think it really surprised me how much I enjoy it. I mean I knew I would enjoy it. I'm surprised at how much I love the work. It feels so fulfilling, and I really love getting to know the whole family, and something else that surprised me is how I do get to know the whole family through working with one kid. I kind of have an idea when I first started here that, oh yeah, like kids and teens, that'll be cool, but I don't know if it's something I want to do the rest of my life. but I could definitely see myself doing this the rest of my life. I think I'm gonna miss the grind and the experience of like being in the office and like in CTC, in the heart of CTC.

I'm becoming a therapist after a decade plus of my own mental health journey. Going to therapy changed absolutely everything about the way I live my life. And while I used to work in marketing, which was great, I ultimately decided that I wanted to help others achieve the same. When it comes to working with kids and teens, my goal is to provide a safe space to explore my clients' feelings, values, identity, and ultimately help them move their story forward in a positive way. After all, we are all the authors of our own stories in life. Some of my hobbies include painting and drawing. I like to hike and explore new trails. I like to cook. And most recently, I bought something called a kalimba, which is a finger piano. I'm not very good yet, but I'm still enjoying learning nonetheless. I'm deeply passionate about what we do here at CTC. Our young people are so special, and every single one of them deserves a chance to live the fullest life they possibly can. That being said, I'm so excited to potentially be a part of your child's journey towards self -discovery and overall better health. I look forward to seeing you soon.

My favorite is the Zelda franchise, so I really love the game Breath of the Wild. It's my favorite ever. I could play that for hours. I look forward to possibly meeting with you and your family. You can reach me at rainey at childandteencounseling .org. That is R -E -Y -N -E -E at childandteencounseling .org. And hopefully I get to meet with you soon.

I wanted to work with children and teens mainly because of the energy that they bring to the table. Something about the youthfulness, the joyfulness, the youthful and innocent energy is something that really resonates with me and I'm very much looking forward to being able to tap into my own inner self and my inner child and being able to for example, make art with them, play games with them overall, just be a big brother to them. I can imagine that some of the benefits of therapy for kids and teens can lie along the lines of just being able to guide them through such a ever -changing time of their life, whether it be moving to a new school and navigating new relationships, navigating their, you know, their friends they meet along the way, just being able to be a big brother to them and guide them through the times of when they're unsure is one of my bigger goals as well. Some of the interests and hobbies that I have for myself is I'm a big sports guy, I love watching soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, you name it. I also played tennis myself. I played it all my life. I played club tennis for San Diego State when I was over there doing my undergrad. And another fun fact about me is that I am a semi -retired Rubik's Cube solver. And so I've had the pleasure of going throughout the US, just competing and being able to solve the cube, meeting so many new people and also recording some fast times along the way. So that's a little bit about me. I look forward to working with you at Child and Teen Counseling. Thank you.

Okay so now a little fun fact I was very much so a choir and theater person growing up. I continued on through college during choir. I was in the last choir to perform at Notre Dame before the spire fell in 2019. So, you know, just a little fun fact. And some hobbies are I really love spending time with friends and family. I try to make that my priority. I love self -care bubble baths, Lush products, anything from Lush I love. I love my dog Charlotte. She's a cute little pug. Thank you so much for listening and I can't wait to meet you all.

I know it's super important and it really could have helped me when I was a bit younger. I'm really passionate about reducing stigma around mental health in black and brown communities. Again, I just think it's an awesome resource and I'm really looking forward to, again, being that support for you and your family. In my free time I love being active. I actually used to be an amateur boxer, so I had a few fights. I don't do that anymore, although I do sometimes go to a boxing workout. I love to be outside going on a hike, just playing various sports. I also do like to tap into a softer side. I enjoy yoga. I like doing art and being creative. I'm also a plant mom and I actually have a snake and a gecko at home. So I really enjoy animals and I love nature. I'm really excited to start working with you and your family. Feel free to contact me at Maya, M -A -Y -A, at childteencounseling .org, or give Child and Teen Counseling a call and we can get this journey started. I'm looking forward to seeing you.

I also love to play frisbee at the beach, go for long walks or hikes, really anything to get me in the sunshine makes me happy. I also love to go thrift shopping so that's another way that I'm able to be creative with my wardrobe or even just my home decor. So that's been really fun and I'm also a very crafty person so I've found with art I love to make things whether it be with like air dry clay or I got really into embroidery as well. So those are just some fun things about me. I'm really excited to hopefully get to know you soon and thanks so much for listening, bye.

I think it's super important for a child or teen be able to talk about what's going on in a completely confidential and non -judgmental space and as a young adult myself I feel like I can really connect to children and teens on an emotional level and help guide them from an understanding point of view. I'll always give my greatest effort to support you to the best of my ability and I look forward to meeting with you soon.